History and Tales

I learned about this back in the day but it is one of my favorite little stories about Ireland this one focused on the Red Hand of Ulster. When the struggle for who would take control over Ulster became even more problematic… it was decided there would be a race to the land. The first person to touch the ground would gain control. So, the boat race began… and one man realized he was losing and decided to cut off his own hand in order to throw it onto the ground so he could win.

Upon further investigation, Labhraidh Lámh Dhearg part of a pagan story lost his hand in battle and had it replaced later on with magic. But, a hand was cut off at some point and it became a symbol of ownership over the land of Ireland. And later on developed into a symbol for ulster loyalists.